Cantacuzino Castle: The Legacy of a Great Byzantine Family

Cantacuzino Castle is part of the impressive cultural and material legacy of the Cantacuzino family whose origins go back one thousand years to the Byzantine Empire. Monumental and opulent, the castle is the reflection of the taste and ambitions of its owner, Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, the richest man in Romania in the early 20th century.

The ancestry of a princely family

The richest descendant of this old family, Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino (1832-1913) was one of the most important landowners in the country, the source of his immense fortune. In fact, he was so rich that his contemporary nickname was Nababul, a French term used to describe extremely wealthy people.

His economic power was doubled by his political influence. Educated in Paris, Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino was one of the key political figures in Romania until his death in 1913. He was the mayor of Bucharest, the President of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies and minister several times, as well as a member of the freemasonry lodge Sage d’Heliopolis.

His wealth and predilection for sumptuous residences were also reflected in the three palaces and castles he left as legacy – Cantacuzino Palace from Victoriei Avenue in Bucharest, the Little Trianon from Floresti planned to have over 300 rooms, but never finalized and Cantacuzino Castle from Busteni.

From aristocratic grandeur to nationalization

Nababul started the construction of his mountain castle, one of the most beautiful in Romania, in 1901, on the location of a former hunting chalet used by his family for centuries. Placed at the foothills of Zamora Mountain, in Busteni, and enjoying the grand view of Bucegi Mountains, the castle was close enough to the summer royal residence from Sinaia.

A great example of the Neo-Romanian style – an original mix of Byzantine, late Italian Renaissance, Oriental and local peasant and ‘Brancovenesc’ style elements – the castle was built under the supervision of Grigore Cerchez, one of the best architects of the time. It was finalized two years before the death of the owner, and the results were spectacular.

Decorated with expensive and rare materials, the castle still conserves the sculpted oak doors, the stained glass windows brought from Venice, the fireplaces decorated with mosaic and gold foils and partially some of the wall paintings done by Viennese artists. Unfortunately, the original furniture was stolen once the castle was nationalized by the communist regime, but even so, you can still feel its grandeur.

Each room has its own particular wooden ceilings with decorative beams, while the stained Murano glass windows are adorned with portraits of the family’s ancestors. The Ball Room is the most impressive from the entire castle. On one wall, the natural size portraits of 12 preeminent Cantacuzino members are painted on Cordoba leather, while on the other side you can admire a unique heraldic collection in Romania – the coat of arms of 27 families that were connected to the Cantacuzinos.

The state of the art architectural result of a man’s vision and richness, Cantacuzino Castle is one of the last pieces from the legacy of the carefree Belle Epoque when Romania was a fast-modernizing young kingdom. A visit to this castle is one of those few occasions to get a glimpse of how life was back then for one of the most prestigious and richest families in the country.

Travel tips

For a full-day of castles, visit also Peles and Pelisor Castles from Sinaia.